Press Releases & Updates 2000

Joy Mitchell (67), a retired head teacher from Berwick and leader of the town’s Peace Church, was appearing in Helensburgh District Court along with Joan Meredith, aged 71, a retired teacher of the deaf from Alnwick. There were two charges relating to August 1999, one of cutting the perimeter fence at Coulport (malicious mischief) and the second for blockading the main gate of the same base (breach of the peace). Joy asked the court how we could teach our children to uphold the law when their own country so flagrantly breached it. Joan told the court: " I will not sit at home knitting, pretending that it’s all right when it’s all wrong!" Police evidence on both alleged incidents was muddled, inconclusive and contradictory but Justice of the Peace Tony Stirling found them both guilty on both charges, fining them a "nominal" £50 for the fence cutting and admonishing them for the blockade. Both women said they would not pay. It was at the end of her case that Joy was immediately arrested by the police and taken to prison for the unpaid fine from a previous conviction.

Earlier, in the same court, David Mackenzie (56), a former education officer with Stirling Council, was found guilty and fined £50 on a breach of the peace charge for blockading the Coulport base in November last year. David told the court he would not pay the fine and has indicated that he intends to appeal the verdict. He said: "JP Stirling heard me out with courtesy and patience but in reaching his perverse verdict he chose to ignore the facts and legal argument I presented.

The campaigners will return in numbers to Faslane on February 12th next year when they aim to close the base for a day. Members of the Scottish Parliament, 27 ministers from Scottish churches and people from all over the UK and beyond are already signed up to be there.

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